Mainland product Every fires 5-under 65, 3 back at Colonial

Matt Every watches a tee shot during the first round of the Colonial golf tournament Thursday in Forth Worth, Texas.

Associated Press / LM Otero

NEWS-JOURNAL SERVICES

Published: Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 4:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 24, 2013 at 12:38 a.m.

Mainland product Matt Every is three shots back from leader Ryan Palmer after the first round Thursday of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.

Every shot 5-under 65, his lowest round on the PGA Tour since early February.

"It's been a pretty bad year for what I am expecting this year for myself," Every told PGATour.com. "That's the way it goes sometimes. I've putted horrible.

"I can deal with hitting it bad because then you can make putts and it just covers up so much stuff. But when you putt horribly it just drives you nuts."

Every, who ranks 130th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained-putting, is back to using a smaller grip and conventional approach.

"Sometimes you need the feel in your hands to kind of steer it in," Every told PGATour.com. "You can't really steer it in when you take the feel out of the putt with the big grip.

"So I put a small one back on and then just went to conventional and trying not to care about the result as much."

Every, who began his round on the 10th tee, made pars on his first five holes before making birdies on four of the next five. He made three straight — Nos. 15-17 — with putts ranging from 6-20 feet, and after a par on the 18th, he had 11 feet for eagle on the par-5 first hole but 2-putted for birdie.

Every's final birdie came from 13 feet on the par-4 seventh hole. His round included a sand-save par on the 14th, as well as four missed birdie opportunities ranging from 9-16 feet.

Every's second-round tee time is 1:11 p.m. — he's paired with Jeff Overton and Troy Matteson for the first two days.

New Smyrna Beach's Robert Streb, who has missed five straight 36-hole cuts, will have to rally Friday to avoid a sixth straight short week. He bogeyed two of his last three holes to shoot 1-over 71.

<p>Mainland product Matt Every is three shots back from leader Ryan Palmer after the first round Thursday of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.</p><p>Every shot 5-under 65, his lowest round on the PGA Tour since early February.</p><p>"It's been a pretty bad year for what I am expecting this year for myself," Every told PGATour.com. "That's the way it goes sometimes. I've putted horrible.</p><p>"I can deal with hitting it bad because then you can make putts and it just covers up so much stuff. But when you putt horribly it just drives you nuts."</p><p>Every, who ranks 130th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained-putting, is back to using a smaller grip and conventional approach.</p><p>"Sometimes you need the feel in your hands to kind of steer it in," Every told PGATour.com. "You can't really steer it in when you take the feel out of the putt with the big grip.</p><p>"So I put a small one back on and then just went to conventional and trying not to care about the result as much."</p><p>Every, who began his round on the 10th tee, made pars on his first five holes before making birdies on four of the next five. He made three straight — Nos. 15-17 — with putts ranging from 6-20 feet, and after a par on the 18th, he had 11 feet for eagle on the par-5 first hole but 2-putted for birdie.</p><p> </p><p>Every's final birdie came from 13 feet on the par-4 seventh hole. His round included a sand-save par on the 14th, as well as four missed birdie opportunities ranging from 9-16 feet. </p><p>Every's second-round tee time is 1:11 p.m. — he's paired with Jeff Overton and Troy Matteson for the first two days.</p><p> </p><p>New Smyrna Beach's Robert Streb, who has missed five straight 36-hole cuts, will have to rally Friday to avoid a sixth straight short week. He bogeyed two of his last three holes to shoot 1-over 71.</p>